Overcoming Addiction in the New Year: A Psychologist’s Story

As we begin 2025, many of us will view the new year as a time for change and a fresh new start. In fact, over one-third of Americans are setting new year’s resolutions, many of which include overcoming addiction and substance use disorders. A surprising statistic is that over 72 percent of adults engage in at least one unhealthy behavior. This can include smoking, drinking alcohol, unhealthy eating habits, and drug use.  

Now that the new year is in full effect, a psychologist from California, Dr. Adi Jaffe, explains his battle with addiction, along with the steps that he took to overcome it. Dr. Jaffe had been battling substance use disorder for years, starting as early as his days in high school and middle school. After years of using, along with the negative health effects that came with it, he realized he had to make a change. Fast forward many years later, he has now earned his PhD in Psychology, allowing him to better understand his past, along with ways he can improve his and other peoples’ futures.  

Jaffe has even written a new book, called Unhooked: Free Yourself from Addiction Forever. The book contains helpful first-hand tips and advice to help those struggling with addiction.  

One of Jaffe’s tips is to recognize the behavior. For example, to overcome an addiction, you must first acknowledge that there is a problem. When repeating a negative behavior for so many years, it may seem routine to engage in this behavior. Recognizing there is a problem is the first step toward making a successful, positive, and lasting change.  

Another key tip from Dr. Jaffe is to recognize the “hooks”. For example, if you are addicted to drugs such as heroin or cocaine, it is helpful to understand why you started using the drug. Was it to help alleviate suffering or discomfort in another area of your life? Was the substance used as a means for curing emotional or even physical pain? In Dr. Jaffe’s example, he faced social anxiety issues as a young teen, which resulted in him trying substances to help cure the anxiety.  

A third tip from Dr. Jaffe is to replace a negative habit with a positive one. Many of us may say, “This year I am going to stop drinking excessively”. However, just stopping drinking may not really solve the problem. Rather, you should look into another action, a positive one, that can replace it. For example, you can say, “This year I am going to stop drinking, and I will try to exercise 3-5 days per week (even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood). By outlining a plan that contains that positive replacement habit, you will be put into a more likely position to succeed with your goal.  

Finally, it is important to know that there will be bumps along the way. The path toward breaking a bad habit is not a straight line. You may have some setbacks along the way. For example, if you are trying to quit drinking, there may be a day where you slip up and have a drink. However, staying motivated to achieve the goal is what will bring success. We can’t be too hard on ourselves for making some mistakes along the way. It’s certainly not easy overcoming addiction and substance use disorder; however, we have witnessed thousands of patients succeed and we are confident you can too.  

Victory Recovery Partners, a network of addiction/recovery centers on Long Island, New York, specializes in helping patients overcome their addictions and substance use disorders. By implementing a unique approach that sets us apart from our competition, including offering total and complete care under one roof, we ensure that our patients will have the greatest chances of achieving sobriety. For more information on Victory, please visit www.victoryrp.com